Poker is a highly popular game that is played in a multitude of formats across the globe. In particular, live poker tournaments utilizing the “Texas hold 'em” style of game play have become well known to millions of people through television tournaments. In addition, millions of people play this type of poker both over the Internet and through various forms of poker game that are available on VLT terminals.
This style of poker deals each player an initial two cards down (the “hole” cards). A total of five additional “community” cards are dealt in three stages to each player, known as the “flop” (the first three community cards), the “turn” (the fourth community card) and the “river” (the fifth community card). Players bet after each round of cards and must either make or match bets in order to remain in the game before receiving another card. After all five community cards have been dealt, if there are at least two remaining players, these remaining players reveal their cards (termed a showdown). The player who can make the best hand out of five of their seven cards wins the hand. If the five best cards are the community cards or there is a tie between player hands, no player wins that hand and the pot is split between the remaining players.
The popularity of televised poker games has grown in part as a result of the producers of a poker tournament usually displaying to the television viewers the relative strength of each player's hand as it is being played out together with the total size of the pot. Specifically, the relative strength of each player's hand is displayed as a percentage probability of a player winning the hand and is calculated based on both the hole and community cards for each player. The percentages are visible only to the television viewers and are updated after each round of cards for each player remaining in the hand.
That is, by calculating the probability of a player's hand winning and the total value of each bet and the total pot size makes the televised game more interesting to watch. In addition, the display of probabilities also serves as a learning tool to many players or would-be players to learn the game.
At a live tournament, either at a single physical card table or those played over the Internet, each player will be playing against individuals. As a result, the size of the pot is highly variable making the game very interesting and challenging to players.
Many players who are interested in poker, however, are intimidated by these player-on-player games and seek to gain the poker experience without playing against other players. Thus, while many players enjoy playing this style of live-poker, many choose not play these forms of player-on-player poker.
In the corresponding Slot or VLT games, players merely play against a computer dealer (the house). In this style of play, both the player and the house are dealt their hole cards on which the player makes their bet. The community cards are dealt and either the house or the player makes the best hand. If the player makes the best hand, he is credited with the pot, otherwise, the house wins the pot as may be calculated by a pay table displayed to the player. The pay table is designed to provide a theoretical return to player (RTP) of approximately 90-96%.
While both styles of play are popular (live and VLT), there has been a need for a VLT style game that provides further incentive and opportunity to a VLT or computer player to participate in more interesting and exciting forms of play that are more akin to the table or player-on-player forms of poker.
In particular, there has been a need for a form of bonus round play that a player can access where they have access to a number of bonus pots.